The Lower Austrian athlete, who lives in Innsbruck, had hoped to make her comeback in lead climbing at her home World Cup following a finger injury but ultimately decided against it. “Competing would be too risky for the finger and simply doesn’t make sense.”
Pilz has been struggling with a finger inflammation for several months and only recently resumed training. Hopes for a comeback in Innsbruck-Tyrol began to rise. The Olympic bronze medalist pushed until the very last minute in her efforts to climb in front of her home crowd.
“It was a back and forth – I didn’t know until this afternoon whether I would compete. I saw the qualification routes, as they’re already set on the wall. The holds are aggressive, with a lot of crimps – exactly the kind of moves that are tough on my finger. That’s why I decided it would be too risky to start, and it just doesn’t make sense,” Pilz explains.
She wouldn’t have been able to reach top form anyway, due to her training deficit. “My finger is much better than a month ago. I can train again, but nowhere near the volume I’m used to. The inflammation has improved but hasn’t fully healed. Unfortunately, I have to be patient and give it more time to recover.”
Missing out on the emotionally charged home World Cup is especially tough. “Innsbruck is a highlight of the year – you really want to be part of it. So many people came up to me this week and asked if I was competing. It hurts when people buy tickets just to see you climb and then you can’t be there.”
Instead of climbing herself, Pilz will have to watch as the athletes compete in front of thousands of fans in her signature discipline, lead climbing, on Saturday (qualification, semifinals) and Sunday (finals). “I’ve been here every day, watching every round – I’m just a fan of the sport. Boulder wasn’t quite as hard to miss since I wasn’t planning to compete anyway. But watching lead this weekend definitely won’t be easy.”
At the same time, Pilz remains optimistic about competing at the Climbing World Championships in Seoul (KOR) in September. “I hope to be fully fit by September and to catch up on my training by then. If possible, I definitely want to compete in at least one World Cup before the World Championships.”
